IR Film Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING [Paramount]
The difficulty with ending something is trying to find the right tone and context to make it work. With "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning," it is a little tricky because it is not like Tom Cruise really wants to end this franchise...but he is a businessman at heart...and the last entry "Dead Reckoning" apparently underperformed at the box office. These specific movies cost a lot of money so they have to perform. The issue at play was that, in the last one, the creative team was trying to get too deep into the mythology. "Fallout" had more of a identity of where it wanted to go while staying in somewhat of the real world. The introduction of The Entity in the last iteration really was too convoluted for the audience to really handle. The aspect is in stakes but if it becomes too cartoonish that is when it loses grip. Mission Impossible never did that before because the dialogue had conviction. (MI:2 had that problem too but John Woo was all style so the slickness outweighed the cheese] The issue in the first half of this film is that a lot of the lines make one chortle (as in way too obvious -- not worthy of the man who wrote "The Way Of The Gun"). Chris McQuarrie is in the Tom Cruise business but the problem is that this iteration ricochets between being an explosion and a spurt.
Once it gets rid of the BS and one realizes that it has literally become in a way: "Moonraker" is when it is alright to enjoy. The latter half of the movie is just barrel roll after barrel roll with little actual reality to it. The submarine sequence is fantastic but utterly utterly unbelievable especially at one point where all logic and consequences go out the window. The ending sequence is thrilling but almost a let down after the underwater stuff (but it is more practical). Cruise, as always, gives it his all so it is not for his lack of trying. However he really could have used a better script and not just set ups for sequences. The end of the world clock and seeing through the eyes of Entity is literally candy, all bluster and taste but without the more intelligent stakes that are needed. "Dead Reckoning" is two different films. The beginning is convoluted exposition with questionable dialogue but once Hunt gets to the mission at hand ("get to the chopper!") then the film just explodes into its alter ego with little time to slow down (almost, actual and near deaths besides). "Dead Reckoning" doesn't end on a whimper but not with its absolute best foot forward either. B-
By Tim Wassberg